Angio-CT of carotid bifurcation

Knowledge of the natural history of atherosclerotic plaque at the carotid bifurcation, as well as the progression and regression of atherosclerosis, make it essential for a diagnostic approach more complete than angiography, whose only target is the degree of arterial stenosis. Besides, the invasivity of the technique discourages repeated controls in a disease where the main risk factor is aging. Among non invasive techniques, Angio - CT shows good sensitivity and specificity compared to the conventional angiography, and the intraoperative and histologic data in 21 patients submitted to TEA of the 92 examined. Beside the entity of stenosis, Angio-CT can evaluate the endoluminal growth and structure of plaque. Moreover, it provides a three dimensional representation of the region of interest. Reliefs emerge both from analysis of axial scans of the carotid bifurcation and from 3D and MP reformatting from raw data. Angio-CT data are integrated with results provided by Color Doppler-Ultrasonography in atherosclerotic screening.